Executive & Leadership Coaching

Just being able to be there for others and to listen to them is one of the most important capacities a leader can have. It calls forth the best in people by allowing them to express what is within them. If someone listens to me say what I am feeling, then my feelings are given substance and direction and I can act.
~ Joe Jaworski – The Inner Path of Leadership.

I work with leaders to help them achieve both personal and business success. But what is success? What does it mean? What does it feel like? Each and every one of us has his own personal answer. I help my clients refine it and claim it.

I believe that their key to success, whatever its definition, is self-awareness and commitment to behavior change and growth: their own, their teams’ and their organization’s.

Self-awareness is essential because leadership is an act of self. We always lead from who we are. We can be confident and thoughtful, and our leadership will flow. But sometimes, we can also be triggered, and react in a way that does not serve us and hurt the relationships. These moments can be career and business-limiting.

How we work together

I work with leaders to raise their awareness, overcome their unconscious reactions and choose an appropriate response even in the most challenging situations. Together we sit exploring deep drivers, values, and what triggers us, in a very practical way, with immediate impact.

We also look at business performance and how to lead this effectively. We work on what leadership means, for them and the system they operate in; how to perform and lead effectively, according to their values; what ambition and politics represent.

I know from experience that leadership can be a lonely existence, and that all the answers to the many challenges a leader is facing are not available in management books. Working with me creates a safe space to share freely, think with creativity and gain clarity.

Experience

As a seasoned organization consultant, I bring to executive coaching an understanding of organizational culture, leadership theory and team development, supporting my clients to see their role in the system they operate in.

Leaders come for coaching for a wide range of reasons. Recently these have included :

• • A CEO seeking a coach as a sounding board;
  • Working with leaders who are in the succession pipeline for executive positions to prepare them for the role;
  • A leader learning to manage anxiety and confidence when leading in high-risk areas;
  • Leaders planning their next steps in their career and identifying different routes to achieve these;
  • Supporting leaders to build a strong brand and internal network when working in a global and virtual organisation;
  • Working with a leader to learn cross cultural intelligence;
  • A senior executive seeking to make sense of career-limiting feedback from the boss, peers and direct reports.

I am particularly experienced in working with leaders who are finding themselves derailed. This may be that they get triggered and over-react, or are struggling with anxiety, emotion or stress at work, or are close to burnout and seek ways to return or move forward to balance.

We have to think with everything we have. We have to think with our muscles. We have to think, as Einstein said, with feelings in our muscles.

 

~ David Bohm

A typical coaching assignment includes

• • A discovery session (at no charge)
  • A three-way conversation with a line manager to agree on coaching goals (optional)
  • Meeting with 6 – 8 key stakeholders (optional)
  • A psychometric assessment – either Hogan or MBTI (optional)
  • Unlimited hours over a 3, 6 or 12-month contract

Coaching packages are either contracted with an individual or with their organization. We meet fortnightly or monthly for 1 to 2 hours.

Schedule a 30-minute discovery Zoom meeting to meet me and learn more.

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